Sweet dreams tells the story of Grens search for two little girls who both vanished on the same day and never seen again.

This is my first book by Anders Roslund and I hadn’t realised that it was quite far into a series of books featuring Ewert Grens. Although I managed to read and enjoy it, I did feel at times that I was missing history or a backstory. That said, I enjoyed the book and am now invested in reading all the books prior to get a better understanding of Ewert Grens. He gives the feeling of being an officer who genuinely cares about his work and stops at nothing to get answers. It was a good read.

Well ….I most certainly wasn’t expecting that!

This was my thought upon finishing Scandi-thriller “Sweet Dreams”. Roslund takes his superintendent Ewert Grens on a journey into a pedophilia network and missing children. This story is not one for the faint hearted, but it did not disappoint. I was delighted to see too that Piet Hoffman was back for a bit of infiltration work. I just love his character and how he manages to take on the persona of other characters (or not).
If you’ve not read any of the Ewert Grens detective novels then I would highly recommend them. They are gritty and will have you reading for more. The only warning I give you is that Roslund doesn’t hold back and the topics can be quite intense.

Wow, Scandinavian noir at its blackest and bleakest. This is very well-written and I didn't want to put it down, but had to at times to loosen its grip on me. This story of an investigation into a paedophile ring is extremely tough sledding because of its subject matter, even though it is not overly graphic. A gritty, grim crime thriller.

I'd like to start by saying Sweet Dreams was the first book I'd read in the Ewert Grens series, I also hadn't read anything by the author before. So I went in almost blind as to what to expect. I will add that I did not 'miss anything' as such not reading the other books in the series and believe this could easily be read as a standalone like I did. I enjoyed Anders (Author) writing style and found the characters were very three dimensional to me, real almost. The settings were beautiful and the descriptions as the investigation went on stomach churning. Often Anders showed rather than told and that was truly enough! I admit at times I had to walk away from this book as it was a hard read, but the content was necessary for the story too. The story's content was not wrote for 'shock value'. This is not a spoiler as mentioned in the synopsis but this book does cover a pedophile ring which as you can imagine is an EXTREMELY dark subject, but was dealt with very well as I mentioned above.

From the get go Sweet Dreams has a nice steady pace. I didn't find my mind wandering at all, in fact at times I wish it had wandered as it was heart wrenching when Ewest was reading the transcripts. I felt unlike many other thrillers I've read, Sweet Dreams had the perfect climax and then threw you for a loop with something I'd completely forgotten. The ending was good, I hadn't predicted the 'who' and loved that. I also enjoyed how the loose ends were tied up with Ewert and how he perceived things.

Over all I couldn't fault this as a thriller. The story was dark, disturbing but with characters who interested me. I would recommend this to those who do enjoy a police thriller but warn them about the content of abuse towards children. A solid 4 stars, I read this in a single day. I'd like to thank NetGalley and Random House UK for allowing me to review this book with my honest opinions.

On a side note I am not sure if it was just my ARC but the book repeated lines throughout especially in the transcripts and I'm unsure if that was meant to be the case at all or an editing problem. I do feel if not on purpose this should be corrected as it did become confusing. I wasn't sure if it was almost mean to be an echo.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House UK, Vintage for an advance copy of Sweet Dreams, the second novel in the Grens and Hoffmann series featuring Superintendent Ewart Grens of the Stockholm police and infiltrator Piet Hoffmann.

Grens has issues, so his discovery that two 4 year old girls disappeared on the same day, never to heard from again, five years ago gets him thirsting for justice, despite the cases being shelved and his boss showing no appetite for a renewed investigation. He thinks that they were taken by a paedophile ring active on the dark net, so with no official resources he enlists Piet Hoffmann to infiltrate.

In certain respects I enjoyed Sweet Dreams, as it is a well written and tense thriller, but how can anyone say they really enjoy a novel with paedophilia and the mistreatment of children at its core? It’s not that there are graphic scenes, but the author doesn’t shy away from the realities of it, so even the message between members are sickening in what they insinuate.

It should be noted that despite the difficult subject this is the story of an unorthodox investigation and the emotions of the investigators. The paedophilia is the reason for it, not the main concentration which is on the investigation although, obviously, the reader needs a certain level of yuk to get invested, follow the reasoning and understand the investigators’ revulsion. Ewert Grens drives the investigation for reasons that may surprise the reader, as he is on a personal journey to, I don’t know, enlightenment or perhaps simply peace with himself. Whatever it is it’s as interesting as the investigation because he’s such a troubled man. He’s not easy to get along with but I find him understandable and easy to empathise with. The twist at the end, which I felt was really fitting, reinforces this. Perhaps that’s the author’s skills in character development or perhaps it says something about me.

The first half of the novel isn’t slow as Grens gradually builds his store of information and assembles a ragtag team, but it isn’t nearly as tense as the second half where an unsure of himself and the situation Hoffmann infiltrates the group. I found myself putting the novel down frequently during the infiltration for a breather. It is fairly horrible, but more than that I found myself identifying with Hoffmann, his horror, disgust and need to get it right to take them down. Yet, it’s strangely compulsive with the reader hoping for a good outcome, but not knowing if he’ll pull it off.

Sweet Dreams is not an easy read but it’s worthwhile, offering a realistic window into the thought patterns of both sides and so I have no hesitation in recommending it as a good read.

A very dark story about a cop desperate to rescue two young children from a pedophile ring whilst struggling with his own demons. This is a very dark tale but it’s a good read.

Very Dark, very gritty, hard reading, just how I like it. Scandi Noir at its finest. Do not read this alone in the dark!

4+

It all starts with a chance encounter with ‘Jenny‘ whilst Detective Superintendent Ewart Grens is visiting the grave of his wife Anni. He learns that Jenny’s daughter Alva is taken from a car park at the age of 4 and is never found and she takes him to view her empty grave which is simply marked “My Little Girl”. Ewart is fully engaged and wants to know more, in the process he learns about another little girl also aged 4, who is taken on the same day. Ewart is now fully invested if not obsessed with the case but is denied the right to investigate it by his boss Erik Wilson and ordered to take leave. Erik is deeply concerned about Ewart’s health and welfare and does not believe he is up to the challenge. However, when a colleague from an online division brings him an horrific photograph Grens is determined to continue and so goes “off piste”. With outside help, which includes the Danish police and Piet Hoffman who, with persuasion, is prepared to go undercover to try to infiltrate and unmask a world wide paedophile ring.

It goes without saying this makes for shocking reading as it clearly deals with heinous crimes. Whilst the author leaves you in no doubt, the storyline does not go over the top as it’s mostly about pursuing the criminals. What they learn is so dark it’s jet black and obviously some of it is very painful and shocks to the core. The effect on Grens and Hoffman is palpable. What is revealed is monstrous, gruesome and horrific and their rage and determination to unmask these dregs of society is understandable. The toll on Hoffman is done extremely well and you feel his disgust and applaud his bravery. It’s chilling, dangerous, tense and builds to a really good conclusion.

The characterisation is also good, Ewart carries a big burden which makes him feel human. The ultimate ending is unpredictable and one I like as it fits in so well with Ewart’s character. Kudos to the author.

Overall, of course this is a stab you in your heart whilst your stomach is churning and your brain recoiling type of read but it’s also really good and well written. This is a series that fans of Scandi Noir will enjoy.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Random House U.K./Vintage for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

This is definitely dark! Obviously the blurb does explain that it is going to delve into some pretty bleak topics but at the same time, these are things that do exist and that do happen in the world. I love scandi noir books, and this inevitable didn't let me down. It's dark, gritty and edgy and it certainly keeps you drawn in throughout. There's no waffle or pointless diagalogue, the plot is always moving forwards and you've no choice but to go with it. As I said, some parts were a bit hard to read but it's an absolutely phenomenal story and if you're going to explore a topic like that then you do need to be one about the realities. Such a complex thriller, I was hooked. I'll definitely be checking out the rest of the series

A nail-bitingly tense crime mystery that will keep you turning the pages late into the night. Great characters, great storyline. I kept turning the pages instead of turning off the light! This is one intense, twisted, dark and addictive novel! Not only is this a very well-written book with wonderfully-interesting characters, but the suspense builds at just the right pace!

I took full advantage of a lazy day and read this in one sitting.
Be warned , its brutal.
But I seem to like those types of books.
I really enjoyed the main character, who has plenty of baggage, but is also determined to find the truth.
Those guys are always the best.
I liked the back up team who brought all the tech knowledge (and more) that the old timers struggle to understand.

Grim reading at times, but fairly unputdownable.

This is clearly part of a series, but I never felt lost, just felt that I now need to read all the other books.

Next time I see this authors name on a book I'll be snapping it up.

This was a dark, tense, and grim read that I loved. It was well written with a compellingly brutal storyline and well developed characters. I couldn't put it down.

Sweet Dreams by Anders Roslund is very dark,and very good.
Swedish Detective Ewart Grens is a tortured man, With his career coming to an end, a career in which he's alienated many of his colleagues he's still mourning the death of his wife and child several years earlier,deaths that he blames himself for. After a conversation with a stranger at the cemetery, where she's visiting a grave containing the empty coffin of her daughter who disappeared 5 years earlier and was legally presumed dead. Grens becomes intrigued with the disappearance of the girl and discovers that another young girl disappeared on the same day.
With his bosses refusing to reopen the cases of the missing girls Grens takes leave and covertly mounts his own operation.

That's the beginning of a tale of trafficking and the dark web with Grens recruiting a motley band of fellow travellers as he tries to negotiate and infiltrate a murky world that he doesn't understand. As well as trying to fool the bad guys Grens is desperately trying to keep things under the radar in Sweden while hoping to convince the police force of another country that his investigation is official.

There's not much sunshine in this book,there are horrific crimes involved and Grens makes Kurt Wallander look like one of the Chuckle Brothers with his guilt , list of former friends who now regard him as toxic and colleagues who very obviously avoid him, a combination that sees him on the verge of a mental breakdown.

No matter how grim it's a great read, Grens is a very hard man to like, even his few friends he threatens or coerces into helping him. He's also a man determined to get results whatever the cost to his own well-being or career and there's a really neat twist at the end that I really wasn't expecting..and one that I saw coming quite early on.

I didn't realise until I'd finished the book that it's the latest in quite a long-running Ewert Grens series and I'll definitely be reading the previous books.

Quite difficult subject matter,this book won't appeal to everyone so please read the publisher's description before buying it.

#SweetDreams #NetGalley
Awesome.
Two little girls go missing on the same day in Stockholm. Their disappearances are never explained. In time, the investigations are abandoned. A chance discovery puts Detective Ewert Grens back on the trail five years later. His own personal trauma makes him determined to find out what happened to these children who were snatched from a supermarket and a car park and never seen again. His search leads him into the recesses of the dark web and the discovery of a paedophile ring that can only be cracked from the inside. Grens is forced to call upon his retired partner, Piet Hoffman, the best undercover operative he knows, to try to infiltrate the group.
I loved it so much. Highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley and Vintage for giving me an advance copy.